Railway-crossing gate



R. DAVIS ET AL MMM 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 R DAVIS Er AL RAILWAY CROSSING GATE Fiid July 9, 192s Oct. 27 1925;'u

Wit/nwo A Vw Memup Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

isaaon V.111511,1'1"|11).sfr-Arias PATENTNoFFiCE.

RICHARD nAvIs, or WEST scaANToN, AND EARL GEHLING, or scaANToN,f-PnNN l ISYLVANIA. I e *e e RAILWAY-CROSSING GATE.

Application nieu July 9, 1925.'r serial No. 42,521.

Toall whomz' may concern: Y f l Be it known that we, RICHARD DAvis, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vest Scranton, county of Lackawanna, Y u State of Pennsylvania, and EARL GEHLING, a citizen of theUnited States,`residingat Scranton, in the county of Laclawanna and Sta-te .of Pennsylvania, have invented certain "new and vuseful Improvements in Railway-Crossing Gates; and we do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact: descriptionjcf the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in theartto which it vappertains tofmake and use thesame.

. :rOur inve tionlrelates `to new and useful improvements I in f gates lused atI railway crossings vandl has reference more particularly to.

unique operating meansk for gates of a type :having aachamber to receive `fiuid under l pressure for closing the gate, said chamber rhaving-also "an-exhaust valve. f Y f The principal object ofthe invention is to `provide a unique arrangementl of parts nfor simultaneously*supplying air to the pressure Vchambersfot1 the gates and closing the eX- haust Yfrom such hambers, whereby the gates will be closed, anda further aim is to make uniqueprovision` for holding the Vexhaust closed until/the trainv has Vvpassed over the 30 Crossipgfg. n i, i'

, 'With l the foregoin g and 'minor obj ects; in view, the inventionfresides in the novel subject matterl hereinafter described y and claimed, the description beingY supplemented by the accompanying drawings. I4`igure'=1l is a diagrammatic perspective -viewof the invention. i

"@Ifigure' 2 is'an elevation fpartlyfbroken away, rshowingtwo of the train-opened controlvalves'and associated parts. Y `Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view throughone of thevalves shown in- Fig." 2. if Figure 4'is a vertical sectional view show'- ing. part ofthe 'gate-actuating. means.

jf-Figure isfa vertical sectional view' on line 5-5 OfFig- 4:

- n the` drawings above-briely-des'cribe'd, R designates the'railsy of a railway, and H-has reference toa highway crossing said railway. We have -sh'own four gates-j for' 0b- Vstructing the 'highwa ,said lgates being indi'- cated at 1. Prefera ly, a holloWv-b'ase 2 is provided fori each Yofthe gates 1, and the latter secured 'to a lhorizontal"rock-shaft 3 passing-across-the 11pper portion offl said base, the gate being preferably weighted as at 4, to open thesame after the fluid pressure which closes it," has been released. A A gear 5 is secured to the shaft 3, within 'the base 2, said gear being in mesh with a rack bar 6 on the upper endv of a piston rod 7, the piston 8 of thisrod being disposed in a Vertical cylinder 9v within thebase 2. Preferably, a bumperspring 10 is locatedat the upper end of thecylinder9 to cushion theV piston 8 and the gate 1, when the latter is4 closed. By a suitable arrangement of piping 11, the cylin'ders9 of thefourY gates are placed in coml munication with eachother, and the piping 11 Vcommunicatesrwith two pipes 12 which extend inl-opposite directions from the .railf way crossing, along the-railway; Four ex`- Ahaust pipes 13 lead from the cylinders 9'of the `gates l to an appropriate manifold 1,4, sai d .manifold having an exhaust 15y provided with anexhaustvalve 16.V In thepresent showing, this exhaust valve is of al rotatable plug type 'l and is provided with a spring-17 by means of which it is opened, said vvalve also having a crank arm 18 which is instrumentalin closing it, as will be hereinafter described. Provision is made for closing this' 'Valve 'before' pressure is' admit'- ted to the cylinders 9, so that such Ipressure will act to'close the gates 1.* Then, after the train has passed, the spring 17 opens theexr haust valve 16permitti11g the pressure to escape from the cylinders 9 and allowing the gates toagain open. Byprefer'enc'e, a whistle or the klike 19 is disposed in one of the bases 2an'd connected with the piping 11 or cylinder 9 'so'asto sound a'warning as soon as pressureiis admitted to close the/gates.

fAt opposite sides lof the highway Hand .spaced therefrom a` suitable *'distanc'e, we have shown two pressure'containing pipes 20 whichfmay communicate-withany source ofcompressedfairoother-fluidunder pres- Y sure...v 'Two ypipes 2,1 and' 22 lead from each container20;to`theadjacent-'pi e112, said pipes 21 and, 22. being provide v with 'normany-closed control valv'es23 and y24 re'- lspectively, which valvesV are 'provided with train-depre'ssedl "shoes 25. and l26.by 'means ofwhich they'may'be opened. ."l`hese shoes are spaced apart any: desired distances and they kmay lbe` similarly spacedV any adequate view, 27 designates a vertically disposed cyl.. inder preferably lhaving startling7 boxesl28 at its upper and lower ends, while the piping with which. the valve. is associated, connects with said casing at opposite points as shown.. A vertically disposed valve plug 29 is slidably received in the casing 27` andpro-jeets through and beyond the stuliing boxes 28, the upper ends ol the piu-gs 29 of the sev'- eral valves, engaging the shoes 25 and 26, so thatl depression ot said shoes against the action ci' appropriate springs 30,. serves to open the valves 23 and 24. At their lower ends, the plugs 29 are pivoted to bell cranks 3l which are supported in any suitable manner, the horizontal arms of the bell cranks extending toward thel highway H. Other bell cranks 32 are spaced apart along the railway track, between thevalves 24, and these bell cranks have horizontal arms eX- tending in theI same directions as the corre'- sponding arms of the cranks 3l, said arms being' connected to appropriate, train-depressed spring-ra'ised shoes 33 which are disposedE in any appropriate spaced relation.

n spaced relation with the valve 16, we have shown a lever 34: which is fulcrumed between its ends and has' one ofsaiid ends connected by a l-ink.35\with theV arm 18. Connected tothe other end oi this lever and to the bell. cranks 3l and 3.2 at one side of the. railwayI crossing, is a flexible line 36, such as a chain. A similar line 3T is connected with the bell cranks 3l and 32 at the opposite' side oit the crossing, and this line is attached to the arm i3 orl the link 35. The bell crank 32 of the intermediate shoe 33 is preferably connected by a= link 381 with the lever 34;

By the construction disclosed, when a train approaches in either direction, the valves 23 and 2i will successively open and when their shoes 25l and 26 depress, said shoes rock the bell cranks 3l andi pull upon the flexible line 36 or 37, thus causing the crank arnr 18 to close the exhaust valve 161, whilev pressurel is being admitted through thel piping to the cylinders 9 to close the gates. Vif-Then the valve 23 is opened by depression of they shoeg25, a quantity ol com pressed air o r thevv like of' course passes through thex piping to` the gates, and when they valve 2li opens, additional compressed air' fo-l'lows, insuringy proper actuation of said gates. As the gates close, thel whistle or the like 19 sounds and givesv warning so that'` there will be no dan-ger ori injuring anyone-on the highway. As the train passes over thel numerous shoes, the exhaust valve i6. is held closed and whenA the train leaves thev last shoe, said valve'opens, permits escape of pressure from the cylinders 9, and the gatesagain, open. Y

The invention is rather simple and inexpensive, yet will be efficient and desirable.. As excellent results may be,v obtained from the general. construction showm. it may well be followed. However, within the scope of the inventionl as claimed, modilications f may be made.

We claim:

' l. in. an operating means for a railway crossing gate 0i' a type having a chamber to receive a gateactuating fluid, and an exhaust valve for said chamber; iluidpressure supply pipes extending along therailway at opposite sides oi the vcrossing and communieating with said chamber, normally closed control valves for said pipes remotely spaced from the crossingand having train-depressed slioes by which they are opened, other train-depressed shoes at spaced points along the track between the first named shoes, bell cranks disposed inA vertical' planes parallel withthe rails and operatively'connectedwith said shoes to be swung thereby about their i'ulcrufms, the belli cranks at` each side' of theA crossing havingends movable away from said crossing when the shoes are depressed, two flexible lines at opposite sidesot the crossing connecting' said" ends of thev bell cranksl at their Vrespective sides of said crossing, and means connecting the in,- .ner ends of said lines, said-connecting means being-operatively connected' with said ex;- haust valve to close the vlatter vwhen eitherfof said valves i-s opened. f

2. Ini an opera-ting means for a railway crossing gateI of a type havingv a chamber to receive a gate'faetuating fluid, and an eXf haust valve for said chamber; ilu-id pressure supply pipes extend-ing along the railway at opposite sides of the crossing and commu-nica-ting with said chamber, normally closed control valves Vfor said pipes remotelyspaced from the crossing and having train-depressed shoes by which they areA opened, other train-depressed shoes at spaced points along the track between the first .named shoes, bell cranks'd-isposed in vertical planes parallel' with the rails and operatively connected with said shoes to be 'swung thereby about their fulcrums, the bell cranks at each side of the crossing having ends movable away trom said crossing when the shoes are depressed, two flexible lines at opposite. sides of the crossing connecting said ends ofV the bell cranks at their respective sides'of'said crossing, 'a lever ialcrumed between its ends adjacent theaioresaid eXhaust valvega crank arm connected to said exhaust valvelto elllect closing thereof, Yand a link connecting said crank arm to one end of said lever, theAv inner enel of oneA of said flexiblelines being Acon'- nected tov the other enel of said.t lever, Vthe inner endof the other line being connected to said link.' Y j Y `v 3. In an operating means forI arailway crossing gate oi a `'type having' a chamber to'reeeive 'a-l gate-closing' lfluid, andan' exliaust valve from said chamber; a pipe leading along the track to said chamber, a container for fluid under pressure, two separate pipes leading from said fluid container to the irst named pipe, normally closed control valves for said two separate pipes, train-depressed shoes for opening said valves respectively, said shoes being spaced apart along the railway, and means for closing said exhaust valve when said control valves are opened.

4. In an operating means for a railway crossing gate of a type having a chamber to receive a gate-closing Huid, and an exhaust valve from said chamber;` a pipe leading along the track to said chamber, a vertically disposed valve casing from which said pipe leads, said casing being open at its upper and lower ends, a fluid supply pipe leading to said valve casing, a valve plug slidable in said casing and projecting both upwardly and downwardly therefrom, a train-depressed shoe operatively associated with the upper end of said plug for depressing and opening the latter, and means connected operatively with the lower end of said plug' and said exhaust4 valve for closing the latter when said plug descends.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto aiixed our signatures.

RICHARD DAVIS. EARL GEHLING. 

